How To Kiss A Boy
by VickyVicarious
Summary: Maya takes romantic advice from the internet. [Phoenix/Maya]


**Prompt:** Cute Nick/Maya based on the following tumblr post.

how to kiss a boy

grab his waist  
slip your hand in his pocket  
steal his wallet  
dont even kiss him  
just run

* * *

"Y'know, I know just the way to solve your romance problems, Nick," Maya said out of the blue.

Phoenix blinked, then jerked his head around to glare suspiciously down at her without pausing in his stride.

"I don't care what you're up to, the answer is no."

Maya skipped forward a couple of steps and then spun around to block his way. She clasped her hands behind her back and pouted at him. He refused to admit it was adorable even to himself.

"Why do I have to be up to something? Can't I just be worried about the lack of love in your life?"

"This is the first time you're ever even _mentioned_ my love life. Also, excuse you, but I have Trucy and a lot of wonderful friends," Phoenix pointed out. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm surrounded by love."

"Well, _yeah_ , but it's been decades since you've actually dated. You know what I mean, so stop getting all defensive." She bit her lip, eyes sparkling. "I mean, I know that's hard for you-"

Phoenix groaned loudly, closing his eyes and dropping his head back. He heard Maya's familiar laughter bubbling out, and pointedly groaned louder, even as he found himself smiling. The sun was warm against his face and she sounded delighted, and he took a moment to just enjoy the moment. He'd really missed her while she was off doing her training. Just hearing her happiness again filled him with an internal warmth, the likes of which no summer day at the park could ever hope to match.

When he opened his eyes again, Maya was standing directly in front of him, so close they were almost touching. Phoenix jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"WHAT THE- _God_ , Maya, don't do that!"

"I'm serious, Nick," she said, staring so solemnly up at him that his hand fell from where it'd been clutching his heart. "I know we've never really talked about it before but, I want you to be happy."

"I am, Maya," Phoenix said. He smiled gently down at her, touched beyond words. Of course, he knew she had a point, but even so many years after Dahlia, the thought of finding someone new was daunting. If anything went wrong, especially now he had Trucy... Not to mention, he wasn't exactly a great catch in the first place. "Like I said, I've got so many people-"

She stood on her tiptoes and cut him off with a fierce finger to his lips.

"You could be _happier_ ," Maya glared. "I want you to be as happy as you could possibly be."

Phoenix's mouth fell open a little. For a second, he just stared - Maya had grown so much from the teenager he'd met so many years ago, and he always knew that but sometimes it just hit him so _strongly_ \- now was one of those times. She was still perched aggressively on her toes, finger on his mouth, utterly determined to _make_ him accept her help for his own sake. It was powerful; undeniable. It was so sweet.

(It was kind of hot.)

Phoenix shook _that_ thought off quick, reflexively apologizing to Mia's spirit. He refocused on Maya, who hadn't moved at all.

"All right," he mumbled around her finger, and she beamed, hopping back down to her feet.

"Knew you'd see it my way!" she exulted. "After all, you're no match for _me_ in an argument."

Phoenix Wright, legendary professional arguer, known in lawyerly circles as the 'Turnabout Terror' for his ability to win no matter how bleak the situation seemed, knew when he was beat. He cleared his throat and avoided eye contact, attempting to at least avoid another byplay of the many, many times he'd given in to Maya's every whim.

(An image of Larry making whipping noises at him popped into his head. He chased it off with a mental Franziska holding an actual whip, but the sound lingered ominously in his imagination.)

"...So, uh, what was your plan, then?" he asked, clearing his throat again. "To, what was it, solve my romance problems."

Maya's grin grew exponentially wider. "It's really easy and it'll get you a lot of smooches and dates. I found it on the internet."

 _Oh, god._

...In for a penny, in for a pound. "Okay," Phoenix said gamely. "So what is it, exactly?"

"Hmm, I think it's easier just to show you," Maya mused. A moment later, her arms were wrapped around his hips as her chest pressed against his.

"A-aaaaah?" Phoenix squawked. Well, more like _squeaked_ , really. "Um. Maya?!"

"See, easy, right?" she said, against his chest. Phoenix stared down at the top of her head, his arms held high in the air in terror. He felt his face growing red.

"I - wouldn't really call it _that_ ," he evaded, attempting to remember to breathe. Maya nuzzled a little closer, and he tried to tell himself that it was just like when they used to hug except that didn't work because it _really wasn't_. Her arms weren't wrapped around his back, but clutching at his hips which somehow put a whole new spin on the embrace, because it made him think about _her_ hips, and what was between _his_ hips that she kept pulling towards her, and her breath was warm against his chest and.

 _She's definitely not a teenager anymore._

Shit. Oh, shit, what was he even thinking. _Mia I'm sorry, please don't strike me down, you'd probably hit Maya too right now._

The fingers on his hips twitched ominously, sending a hot spark down his spine, and then a warm hand was sliding around behind him, reaching down to - was she about to grab his ass?! Holy shit-

There was a tugging sensation. Maya's head lifted up, and she met his bewildered look with a daring, mischievous grin. A moment later, the warmth against his front was replaced with a rush of cool air as she bolted off. Towards a distant hot dog stand.

Phoenix stared after her in a daze, attempting to get his brain back online. Slowly, he reached his hand down to his back pocket.

His back pocket, where kept his wallet.

His back pocket, which was empty.

Further down the path, Maya was laughing wildly.

"MAYAAAAAAAA," he roared, taking off after her. "GIVE IT BACK, YOU LITTLE WRETCH!"

She shrieked delightedly and clattered on, noisy but surprisingly speedy in those heeled sandals of hers, robes flapping behind her. She had a head start, so it took some time and that hot dog stand loomed ever closer, but Phoenix gained steadily.

"YOUUUUUUU," he yelled, catching her and swinging her right off her feet in a single motion. She flailed about, but he held on tightly, holding her half over his shoulder, half in an undignified sort of hug, and _shook_ her.

She screamed for him to stop, pounding on his shoulders and laughing so hard he could hardly understand a single word out of her mouth. Phoenix was laughing too, and eventually stumbled off the path to collapse on the side of a grassy hill; Maya landed heavily on his lap.

It took them both a minute just to get back to the point where they could breathe.

...And then Maya stole Phoenix's away again, with a gentle hand on his cheek, and a soft smile. With robes rucked up high on her (long, smooth) legs from their roughhousing, and a heaving bosom, and mussed hair and flushed cheeks, with all of that too - but mostly with that soft, certain affection in her eyes.

 _Oh_ , he thought.

"Oh," he said, and then leaned down, and she leaned up, and their lips met in the middle, gentler than anything he'd ever thought possible. They pressed together for long, long moments...

"Maya," Phoenix said, when they parted. His voice felt raw. His heart, overflowing. "I'm happy. As happy as I could possibly be."

He swallowed hard as he felt her slide her fingers into his hair. She pulled him in again, tucking her cheek against his and sighing.

"Me too," she whispered, and Phoenix's eyes fell closed. He turned his head just a little to press a kiss to her cheek and then just gathered his arms a little tighter around her, just breathed her in and felt so completely _warm_.

They stayed like that for a little while.

Then they got up and resumed their walk, this time hand in hand, and Phoenix's heart was still hammering a little, no surprise there after such a realization, such an easy shift from one sort of love to another, something completely unexpected but so _right_ \- and those mental apologies to Mia too, not all that genuine anymore but still made, those took up some mental energy too.

So when Maya said, "My treat," at the hot dog stand, and pulled _his wallet_ out - he was distracted, okay.

"Thanks," Phoenix said, and took the hot dogs she handed to him, and waited while she reached behind him to tuck the wallet back into his pocket. He blushed when she pressed a kiss to his cheek on the return, and took her hand again as they continued walking, each holding a hot dog in their free hand.

It took him until they were halfway around the lake. He was _distracted_ , okay.

"Hey - that was my money! What do you mean, 'your treat'?!"

"Well, I paid the man," Maya said, with a casual shrug.

"With my money! Which you stole! That - that doesn't count, Maya!"

"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport, Nick," she pouted, and squeezed his hand.

"...Why are you so mean to me," He asked, squeezing back.

Maya laughed.

"I'm not, I make you _happy_."

(This time, he directed the mental apology towards Edgeworth. His old friend would always be his favorite court rival, but really, his arguments were nothing compared to Maya's.)

"Yeah," Phoenix admitted, and squeezed her hand again. "You do."


End file.
